Advertising sign



w. G. LUTHER .ADVERTISING SIGN Nov. 17, 1925. i 1,561,940

Filed July 11. 1923 2 sheets-sheet 1 .37 a' l e 20 a if /Nl/EN TOE WALTER G. Lun-Erz ATTORNEY Nov. 17, 1925.

w. G. LUTHER .ADVERTISING SIGN Filed July 11. 1923 2 Sheets-S1001 2 110315 iik-A /NVEA/Toe WALTER G. Lu-rHzp.

Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

UNITED STATES WALTER G.v LUTHER, OIE'j CINCINNATI, OHIO.

ADVERTISING SIGN.

Application filed July 11, 1923. Serial No. 650,945.

Y all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER G. LUTHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Advertising Signs, of which t-he following is a specification. u

My invention relates to improvements in advertising signs and is adapted for use in connection with the usual outside stationary sign-board and is especially concerned with a movable sign having thereon character 'designations yadapted to be conveniently changed which may be attached to the usual outside stationary sign-boards, such as are seen so frequently upon the hillsides and along the highways. Q p Heretofore, it has been customary to display advertisements on large stationary sign-boards positioned where they are most liliely to attract attention of passersby,fde pending `entirely upon the attractiveness of the sign anduponits location to compel atr tenti-on such as is required to induce individuals to read the advertisements thereon; However, advertising signs upon which are displayed various articles and reading'matter in attractive form, so frequently meet the gaze of the gen-eral public that it is necessary to closely space the signs sol that theysuliiciently attract the attention of individuals as to induce public reading. yClosely spacing sign-boards necessarily incurs heavyl eX- penses for the advertiser to bear besides often obstructing desirable views of beautiful scenery.

The objects of my invention are, to provide preferably, a rotatable signwhich may be attached to any outside stationary signboard for the purpose of displayingra moving advertisement intended to appear intermittently before an opening or window 'formed in the stationary sign-board for the pur-pose of attracting attention of the general passing public, whereby individuals are caused to read the advertisement;` to provide means whereby rotary movement is imparted to the advertisement.carrying-disc; to provide efficient means for converting currents of air or othery suitable power for the purpose of rotating the disc; to' provide vmeans whereby special attention is ldirectedto the sign-board on which my invention is .attached thereby inducing a lgreater number of individuals to read the outside stationary sign-board advertisement as well as to induce individuals to read my movable advertisement whereby advertisers are enabled to reduce in numbers the stationary advertismg sign-boards which they have distributed throughout the country; to provide means whereby words or character ydesignations are releasably attached to my rotatable disc therebyV enabling advertisers toconveniently change, at intervals, said wording or `character designations; to providemeans for attaching my invention to any stationary sign-board such asare in general use; to provide means whereby a plurality of advertisers may be represented on my movable sign, each having his advertisement appear intermittently for individual public reading; to provide means whereby the words of a sentence may be caused to appear at intervals for public reading.

' My invention comprises preferably a rotatable disc having means thereon for releasably attaching thereto a plurality of advertising signs; further, means for attaching said rotatable disc to a stationary signboard for the purpose of having my advertisement appear intermittently before an opening or a window formed in said stationary sign-board for attracting attention of the general public for the purpose of creating a desire in individuals to read my advertisement as well asy the advertisement which appears upon the stationary signboard; further, means for rotating said rotatable discpreferably comprising a wheel adapt-ed to lbe rotated by lcurrents of air in combination with suitable gearing connections between the said wheel and said rotatable disc.

While I have chosen to illustrate one form and structure by means of which my invention may be carried out, I desire to emphasize the fact that this form is not intended to be complete as showing all of the forms which might be used but are now known to be incomplete. The extent of showing made by me has, therefore, been made forillustrationsand without attempt at completeness.

' In the drawings k:

AFigjl isa front elevation of a. signboard partly broken away showing my invention attached 'thereto and mechanism for Vconverting air currents to rotate the same;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a sign-board with my invention attached showing mechanism for converting air currents to rotate the same;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my rotatable disc showing one of my removable signs partly in position;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of my removable signs;

Fig. 5 is aperspective view of my removable sign carrier ory support;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on a line corresponding to 6-6 of Fig. 1, with my rotatable disc and the sign-board partly broken away; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged side elevationV of the air current converting mechanism with both shafts broken away.

In the preferred construction of my invention disc 1 is rotatably mounted on ball bearing-2 secured in bore 3 of the disc. The ball bearing 2 is mounted on shaft 4 extending. through sign board 5 provided withv opening or window 6 suitably positioned. The shaft 4 is secured against inward movement by integral head 7 contacting the outer portion Vof sign-board 5V and is held against outward movement by nut 8 securing washer 9 in engagement with ball bearing 2. The collar 10 spaces disc 1 from sign board 5 thereby permitting removable sign 11 to be inserted in holder 12iixed to the disc by screws 13. The holder 12 is providedwith longitudinal channel sides 14 for conveniently inserting and removing the signs 11 secured in the holder by screws 15.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating disc 1 for the purpose of carrying character designations 16 of sign 11 before window 6 in sign boards 5, but my preferred method as shown in my drawings comprises an air current rotatable wheel 17 y fixed to shaft 18 journaled in bearingat 19 formed by upper support 2O and lower support 21. Bevel gears 22 and 23, respectively, fixed to shafts 18 and 24 are meshed. Shaft 24 journaled in base 25 has gear 26 fixed thereto and meshing with teeth 27 regularly vspaced and fixed around the complete circumference of the disc at the outer edge thereof. The housing 28 comprises lower support 21 havying its upper part fixed to upper support 2() by screws 29 and having its lower part in engagement with bal-l bearing 30 and secured against lateral movement by vertical shaft 24, for permitting respectively, upper and lower supports 20 and 21 and such parts as are connected thereto freedom to revolve around shaft 24. Ball bearing 30 is positioned in a recess in the lower portion of lower support 21 and in a recess in ythe upper portion of base 25k having. its lower part fixed to the upper part 'of sign-board 5 by screws 31. rilhe weather vane 32 is secured to upper and lower .support 20 and 21 by rod 33 for positioning the front of wheel 17 toward air currents for 'the purpose of effecting rotation of disc 1 through' inclined blades 34, wheel 17, lshaft 18, bevel gears 22 and 23,.sha.ft 24, gear 26 and teeth27. Vertical rod 35 is fixed to upper support 20 by screws 36 for the purpose of displaying direction indicators 37 fixed to the top portion of the rod.

In operation themechanism of my invention is as follows: By means of air currents coacting with weather vane 32, the front of wheel 17 is positioned toward the air currents through upper and lower supports 2O and 21, respectively, bearing 30 and shaft 18. The air currents in passing through wheel 17 engage inclined blades 34 thereby rotating the wheel in the manner usual to similar device of this character. The'wheel 17 is fixed to shaft 18 thereby through bevel gears 22 and 23, shaft 24, gear 26, and teeth 27, disc 1 is rotated on shaft 4 carrying character designations 16 on sign 11 before window 6 in sign-boardV 5.

invention may be attached to any de sired stationary object such` as may contain an opening 6 positioned for the purpose ofl making the character designations 16 on my signs 11 visiblev to the passing public. The inclination of blades 34 fixed to wheel 17 is suitably arranged for causing my' signs to rotate in av desired direction preferably` so that the lower portion of my signfirst appears at opening 6 in signboa'd 5. The size or position of opening 6 is such that my signs are 'shown to the best advantage and when'used in connection with al stationary sign-board having thereon advertising 'matter t e opening 'may be positioned with a purpose in view to s'ecureattractive'ness in combination with my sign and to the advertising matter which may appear upon the sign board. As shown in Fig. 1 opening 6 is near the center of the sign board and the word Purest appears therethrough. It is obvious that the word Purest represents the lettering on my sign 11 which is secured to rotatable disc 1. It is also obvious that various character designations or sentences may be represented on my signs, as for example, as shown in Fig. 3 the words thereon form the sentence lRose brand purest of butter. Try it and be satisfied.

As heretofore emphasized l have described and shown thepreferredembodiment of my invention and it is to be understood that it is capable of other adaptations and modifications within the scope of the following claims. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, a stationary member having an openingtherein, a disc attached to said stationary member and adapted to rotate continuously and having a detachable sign thereon, said sign having character designations thereon and adapted to appear intermittently before said opening and means for rotating said disc, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the class described, a stationary member having an opening there-y in, a disc rotatably attached to said stationary member, a plurality of signs detachably secured to said disc and having character designations thereon, said signs adapted to appear intermittently in continuous move-y ment before said opening when said disc is rotating.

3. In a device of the class described, a

stationary sign having an opening therein, a disc attached to said stationary sign and adapted to rotate continuously, a plurality of spaced apart advertising signs detachably secured to said disc, and adapted to appear in continuous movement before said opening when said disc is rotating.

4.*In a device of the character described, a member adapted to rotate continuously and having a. detachable advertising sign thereon, a` stationary member having an opening therein, said advertising sign adapted to appear in continuous movement before said opening When said member is rotating.

5. In a device of the character described, a stationary sign board having an advertisement thereon and having an opening therethrough, a revolving sign adapted to move adapted to appear intermittently before said opening whereby a complete advertisement is readable intermittently and means lcontinuously and having thereon a legend for revolving said sign and comprising ag 4 `vvindvvheel and suitable mechanism in coinbination therewith.

' WALTER G. LUTHER. 

